Evento

Sherry Kramer: MAKING A MAGICAL OBJECT

There is a great difference between a prop and an object on stage that is built or filled with the dramatic forces of a play. Such objects become metaphors, they become fresh comprehensions of the world.

In the theatre, we believe in magic. Our gaze is focused on ordinary objectsÂÂa glass figurine, a pair of shoes, a wedding dress, an old inherited pianoÂÂand then our attention is shaped, and charged, and we watch these everyday things fill up with longing, and desire, and most of allÂÂhope. We watch as the everyday grows in meaning and power. With magic. We fill up those everyday objects with the characterÂÂs hopes, and ours, and they become mythic thingsÂÂthey become metaphors.

So--how do we make the ordinary into the extraordinary? How do we create something that can carry meaning across the stage, into the audience and then out of the theatre, all the way home, and into the lives of these strangers who come together, to sit in the dark? How do we generate a magical object on stage?

In the workshop we will explore the essence of a magical object on stage and discuss the three simple steps for making a magical object. WeÂÂll do some short writing exercises in class, and playwrights will write a 10 minute play with a magical object. Participants are expected to read The Piano Lesson by August Wilson and Buried Child prior to the beginning of the workshop.